Nikka Costa is back after six years with her third studio album, Dirty Dancing. The singer is deep in her funk bag, and she announces it on the album opener, “Dirty Disco,” which could easily have been a take from Prince’s prime. Costa speaks and sings her lyrics with soulful guitar riffs and Greg Phillinganes’ synthesizer straight out of the Minneapolis’ genius’s Dirty Mind and 1999 eras. She was always a child of the genre, and Dirty Dancing finds her stretching out her influences into a nifty record that keeps its promise of being danceable. “Keep It High” is nothing but good party vibes, and it gets even funkier thanks to the talkbox. “Dance N Forget” serves its purpose with Costa’s fiery vocals and plenty of pulsating groove. The tempo slackens off on “Slow Motion,” an undulating number made for close body-to-body contact. “All That I R” is another sensual bop with a beat that takes everything it has to show how one can go into a daze while dancing. Costa said in a press release that DD was about escaping the worries of life in a dancefloor retreat, and that is exactly what she has offered with a band of outstanding musicians. The album is available on streaming platforms, and she is currently touring the West Coast.
Tour Dates
Fri 9.20 – Ventura, CA @ Ventura Music Hall
Sat 9.21 – Bishop, CA @ Millpond Music Festival
Sun 9.22 – Berkeley, CA @ Cornerstone Berkeley
Wed 9.25 – Tacoma, WA @ Elk’s Temple
Thu 9.26 – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall
Sun 9.29 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues San Diego
Mon 9.30 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
